The Dining Hall

The College Hall is a beautiful and vibrant room that boasts grandeur and elegance. While it gives itself to the staff and students during the day for lunch, it is wonderfully transformed for a unique formal dining experience perfect for Gala Dinners and Wedding Breakfasts.

Neo Classical in design, yet modern and flexible, the stately Hall has in integrated audio system and a range of lighting options. From cafeteria style, finger and fork buffet lunches to formal gala dinners and wedding breakfast, the room can accommodate a variety of catering options.

Our Gala Dinner choices use fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients where possible and are cooked to perfection, with a range of accompanying wines to choose from.

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Dimensions

Capacity

168x Top Table and Sprigs

124 x Top Table and Herringbone

Equipment

Integrated audio system

radio controlled voice amplification and back ground music

12 speakers

Overview

Weddings

Dining

The College Hall is a beautiful and vibrant room that boasts grandeur and elegance. While it gives itself to the staff and students as cafeteria during the day for lunch, it is wonderfully transformed for a unique formal dining experience perfect for Gala Dinners and Wedding Breakfasts.

I just wanted to say a big thank you once again for all your help in organising the French dept. dinner last week. The dinner was hugely successful and the Downing food and service greatly appreciated by all - in fact it was the most successful and memorable dept.dinner of recent years.
Dr Ian James, Dept of French, Downing College
Everyone was so kind and considerate. The guests were very happy and we couldn't be happier! You really made our wedding truly special. It was wonderful and we couldn't have done it without you all.
Nicola & Qiming Liu – Bride & Groom
I would like to thank everyone at Downing College for all your help and assistance at our conference. Everything ran like clockwork, thanks to the professionalism and enthusiasm of all those involved on the day.
Tina Palmer,RTPI East of England
On behalf of the RTPI East of England, I would like to thank everyone at Downing College for all your help and assistance at our conference. Everything ran like clockwork, thanks to the professionalism and enthusiasm of all those involved on the day.
Tina Palmer,RTPI East of England
Everything was amazing and you and your team have been superb ever since we had our first meeting all those months ago.
Please thank everyone concerned - Pavel and the theatre team, Chef, Amelia, the office, servers and kitchen staff, porters, household teams and others too numerous to mention.
We will not hesitate to recommend Downing as a venue - indeed many of our Cambridge friends didn't know you existed - but DO NOW!!
The venue, weather and ambience were magical - thank you so much.
Maggie and Ray Hill
Just a quick note to say thank you for all your help with the organising with the event. It was a great success which wouldn't have been possible without you and your team. Downing is most definitely on the list for the next time we organise an event.
Barnabas Baggs, Granta Backbone Network
I wanted to say a huge thank you for organising and facilitating such a wonderful evening for us at Downing. The staff were so friendly, and the food and wine were delicious.
Jack - you made my life so easy on the night, and you could not have been more helpful.
I will definitely be recommending Downing for future events!
Robert Harle, University of Cambridge
Excellent, clean, comfortable and spacious accommodation with a splendid dinner.
Nicky Merry, Arts Travel
Downing College was an exceptional venue with impeccable service. The personnel, decor, cuisine and setting were perfect in making our wedding day extra special. Everything was expertly managed which meant we could relax and enjoy our day to the full, we can't thank them enough for helping us create such wonderful memories.
Susan and Olivier - Bride and Groom
We just wanted to say a big thank you to you and all of the team of staff at Downing who made our party last Saturday such an enjoyable event. We were so impressed by Lorna, for whom nothing was too much trouble, and all of the catering crew who supplied us with a delicious meal and kept us in drinks all evening. The weather was extremely kind to us and our guests really enjoyed all that Downing has to offer.
Jane Magaowan, Private Event

Wedding Package

Some of the inclusions of the Wedding Package

Exclusive Hire of the Main Hall, Fellows Lawn & SCR

2 Glasses of Prosecco or Pimms on arrival

Four Course Wedding Breakfast with Coffee and Petit Fours

Complimentary Tasting of the Wedding Breakfast for the Bride and Groom

Half a bottle of College Label Wine with the meal

College Champagne for the toast (1 glass)

Silver Wedding Cake Stand and Knife

Overnight Superior Guest Room accommodation and Breakfast for the Bride and Groom

10 Complimentary Car Parking Spaces

Croquet Garden Game Set

Top Table and Sprigs

Top Table and Sprigs layout seats 168 guests

Top Table and Herringbone

Herringbone and Top Table layout seats 124 guests

Downing provided an absolutely fantastic day! They had a high attention to detail, throughout the months of planning beforehand and on the day itself. We were very impressed at their speed when replying to emails to every question we had and they were very happy to fulfil all our requests. They also took charge of coordinating the other suppliers (flowers, cake, evening entertainment and photographer) so that we did not have to deal with them at all on the day. The food was delicious and they catered to everyone’s dietary needs including gluten free, garlic allergies and even noticed on the day that one of the guests was pregnant and offered an alcohol free alternative to the sorbet course and to also cook her duck well done. The grounds at Downing are stunning and provided a beautiful back drop to photos. Guests also enjoyed exploring the vast grounds in small groups whilst the band were setting up in the evening. In general, all guests expressed how much they enjoyed their day at Downing, especially those that chose to stay the nights around the wedding. Thank you to everyone at Downing who made the day so amazing! Holly and Andrew Miller
Holly and Andrew Miller
Downing College was an exceptional venue with impeccable service. The personnel, decor, cuisine and setting were perfect in making our wedding day extra special. Everything was expertly managed which meant we could relax and enjoy our day to the full, we can't thank them enough for helping us create such wonderful memories.
Susan and Olivier - Bride and Groom
We had the most perfect wedding day at Downing! The venue looked stunning, the food was exquisite, the serving staff were attentive but not intrusive, and our Wedding Coordinator, Kerry-Ann co-ordinated all the different elements superbly. Our overnight guests enjoyed their lovely rooms and great breakfasts in that impressive Hall, and both they and our day guests felt looked after wonderfully and were able to find their way around the site comfortably and happily in all respects. We have had so many positive comments from our guests who were all blown away by every detail of the day.
Susan & Sam Lupton – Bride & Groom
I'd like to thank everyone involved in making Angharad and Mark's wedding a fabulous day. Everything was so well organised and you kept me informed of what has happening along the way, and on the wedding day. All the requests we'd asked for were met.
The day and arrangements were orchestrated so smoothly, without any problems even down to the signage and the Porters being informed.
I'd also like to thank the catering staff on the day. They were very attentive, walking around replenishing guest's glasses, clearing away plates and rubbish, being very polite and helpful throughout the evening. Several guests commented on how well they were served.
I am aware that a lot of hard work foes into organising a wedding function and i appreciate it very much.
You manage to perform a very professional task, with a friendly, informal vibe. It was a beautiful day for all of us.
Julie Jones, Bride's Mother
Many thanks for putting on such an amazing Wedding Day for us! We couldn't ask for anything to have been improved, and we've had so many of our guests telling us what a great time they had, both during the day and since.
The food was fantastic and the service was spot on, we were never waiting. Many thanks once again for all of your organisation and advice over the past 12 months.
Michele & Ed, Bride and Groom
We were all absolutely delighted with the wedding and cannot thank you enough for all your help. Everything worked so well and our families and friends were full of praise for the College staff and impressed by how efficiently the day and evening was managed. The delicious meal was a big hit and we received many comments about it, plus the quality of the wines. The brunch was extremely popular and the guests found it hard to leave and sat around in the sun in the Fellows’ garden for some time. All in all it was a huge success and we are rather sad that it is now all over.
Diana Linden - Mother of the Bride
Firstly, a huge thanks to you and Lorna, we had the best day ever on Saturday. It couldn’t have been any more perfect and we are really grateful for all your help making the day possible!
Maria and Agustin, Bridge and Groom
You have just organised the wedding of my son, Buster to Santina. It was a truly wonderful event with excellent food and very good over night accommodation. The College and its facilities are of course exceptional - enhanced by a day of fine weather. What really made the whole event extra special was the staff. This included everyone we came into contact with from domestic staff to the Porters and everyone connected with the catering. Well done and thank you to every one for making a special day that bit more memorable
John Harradine – Santina and Buster Harradine Wedding
Everyone was so kind and considerate. The guests were very happy and we couldn't be happier! You really made our wedding truly special. It was wonderful and we couldn't have done it without you all.
Nicola & Qiming Liu – Bride & Groom
Everything was amazing and you and your team have been superb ever since we had our first meeting all those months ago.
Please thank everyone concerned - Pavel and the theatre team, Chef, Amelia, the office, servers and kitchen staff, porters, household teams and others too numerous to mention.
We will not hesitate to recommend Downing as a venue - indeed many of our Cambridge friends didn't know you existed - but DO NOW!!
The venue, weather and ambience were magical - thank you so much.
Maggie and Ray Hill

Dining Package

Our Gala Dinners include silverware, candelabras, table linen and flowers as standard, as well as the personal addition of menu cards and signage created for your event.

We offer a wide variety of dishes including meat, vegetarian and fish options for you to choose from.

Sprigs and Top Table

Top Table and Sprigs layout seating 168 guests

Herringbone and Top Table

Herringbone and Top Table layout out seating 124 guests

I don't quite know how to thank you and all of the staff at Downing. To say our European Hoot was a complete and utter success is an understatement. From Porters to Bar Staff and everyone in between they could not have tried harder to please. The ladies were blown away with the venue itself, then having everyone at Downing going that extra mile, how could we not host a successful event. Saturday morning breakfast was delicious, the Grace Howard room lent itself for the meet and greet.In the evening pre drinks, especially the purple rain cocktail... perfect with canapes adding that extra touch. Then to be gonged for dinner and lead into the candle lite Hall it was breathtaking.
Vivan, Red Hat Bees of Bardwell
Service received from booking, AV and Catering makes running an event much less stressful - thanks to all.
Bridget Nobbs, CRN Eastern
I just wanted to say a big thank you once again for all your help in organising the French dept. dinner last week. The dinner was hugely successful and the Downing food and service greatly appreciated by all - in fact it was the most successful and memorable dept.dinner of recent years.
Dr Ian James, Dept of French, Downing College
We just wanted to say a big thank you to you and all of the team of staff at Downing who made our party last Saturday such an enjoyable event. We were so impressed by Lorna, for whom nothing was too much trouble, and all of the catering crew who supplied us with a delicious meal and kept us in drinks all evening. The weather was extremely kind to us and our guests really enjoyed all that Downing has to offer.
Jane Magaowan, Private Event
Thank you all very much for organising such a superb lunch on Saturday. Everything went so smoothly - the food was great, wine excellent and the organisation quietly unobtrusive, but very effective. We have received many compliments on the quality of the venue and the lunch.
Barrie and Sue Hunt
Excellent, clean, comfortable and spacious accommodation with a splendid dinner.
Nicky Merry, Arts Travel
We were treated extremely warmly, the event was brilliantly organised. The dining tables looked fantastic, we all had a wonderful evening.
Amy Goymour, Faculty of Law
The event went smoothly. Everyone was amazed at the quality of the accommodation and the dinner was a very memorable occasion with delicious food.
Nicky Merry, Arts Travel
We were very happy with the event and received many positive comments from attendees about the beautiful setting, excellent food and service.
Jenny Molloy, OpenPlant Forum
I would like to say a very big thank you for the fantastic support you gave in helping us put on an exceptionally good national conference at the magnificent setting of Downing College. We have received nothing but glowing praise from the delegates, speakers and sponsors – all of them saying that it was a very high-quality event. The conference events team is a great credit for Downing College, with your superb organisational skills making everything work smoothly and like clockwork. It is a real shame that we can't hold the 2019 conference at Downing College.
Neil McManus, ACES President